JP2005157100A - Image forming apparatus, image forming system, image forming condition adjusting method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, a process condition adjusting method, a program, and a recording medium by which a good image quality can be surely obtained by adjusting the process condition for forming an image even when the type of the recording medium such as paper or environment of use of the image forming apparatus is varied. <P>SOLUTION: At least the shape of an image pattern formed on a photoreceptor or an intermediate transfer body is measured and the quality of an output image is predicted on the basis of the measured result. The electrified amount applied to the photoreceptor in normal image formation, light intensity to form a latent image on the photoreceptor and the process condition for developing bias and transfer bias are adjusted. Furthermore, when the image is output from a terminal, image processing is carried out by selecting the most appropriate image processing method on the basis of the image quality prediction result obtained from the image forming apparatus and/or the measured result before the image processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming condition adjusting method, a program, and a recording medium. Specifically, the image quality output by the image forming apparatus is predicted from the measurement result of the internal pattern, and the prediction result is obtained. Based on this, the output conditions are adjusted.

  In recent years, there has been a steady increase in demand for multi-function machines that integrate conventional facsimile machines, copiers, printers, and the like and realize effective use in networks. The demand for high-speed MFPs that consume a large amount of paper volume is steadily increasing.

  In order to stably provide the quality of images output in large quantities by such a high-speed multifunction device, the average reflectance or density of the image formed on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member by the image forming process is determined by a P sensor or the like. The process conditions are adjusted from the measurement results. In addition, the quality of the image actually output from the high-speed MFP to a recording medium such as paper is measured, and the measurement results are fed back to the image processing to adjust the process conditions, and the characters are crushed or blurred due to the deterioration of the developer. The occurrence of abnormal images such as is prevented.

  For this reason, in the technique of Patent Document 1, a reference image is formed on an image carrier, the density of the reference image is detected by a detection unit such as a P sensor, and upper and lower limit values are provided for a reference value to be compared with an output value. By changing the process conditions from these relationships, the occurrence of abnormal images such as text collapse and bleeding due to deterioration of the developer is prevented.

  In the technique of Patent Document 2, the toner adhesion amount with respect to the reference image formed on the image carrier is detected by a detection means such as a P sensor, and the control value of the transfer current is corrected based on the detection result.

  In the technique of Patent Document 3, the density of a reference image having a different area ratio for each dot or line is detected by a detection unit such as a P sensor, and the process condition is adjusted based on the detection result, thereby causing dot collapse or line collapse. The occurrence of abnormal images such as

  Further, in the technique of Patent Document 4, the output state of the image output device is detected, the detection result is transmitted to the control device of the image output device via the communication unit, and the correction value is calculated in the control device. The image output apparatus is controlled using the correction value, and the image quality is stabilized by performing the correction so that the target value is obtained.

  On the other hand, by outputting a large amount of image data, a large amount of waste developer is generated, which may cause environmental pollution as waste (waste plastic). For this reason, recently, for effective use of the developer, the toner remaining on the image carrier and the like that has not been used for development is collected by a cleaning device, and the collected developer is returned to the developer unit for reuse. Image forming apparatuses that employ a recycling system have become mainstream.

  For this reason, Patent Document 5 predicts the quality of the developer from the mixing ratio of the reused developer and the unused developer in the developer supply device that can reuse the developer, and notifies the replacement timing. Thus, an apparatus that improves the operating cost and operating efficiency of the output apparatus has been proposed.

Further, in Patent Document 6, the result of evaluating an output image of an image forming apparatus connected to a network is stored in a storage device, so that an optimum output device can be selected and an optimum image processing method can be selected at the time of output. A system is provided.
JP 2002-040725 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-215761 JP-A-5-313453 JP 2002-214865 A JP 2001-22197 A JP 2001-358951 A

  The measurement methods described in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 described above are based on an average reflectance or density of an image formed on a photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member by an image forming process. It is intended to prevent the occurrence of an abnormal image or the like by detecting by a detecting means and adjusting the process condition from the measurement result.

  However, the reflectivity and density are easily affected by the characteristics of the photoconductor and intermediate transfer member, and if the material is changed, the maintenance staff may need to change the set value, or the correction accuracy may vary due to lot variations. It had the problem of decreasing.

It is a well-known matter that graininess, sharpness, and gradation are important factors that determine image quality, and the technique described in the patent document is based only on gradation characteristics (measured density values). The process conditions of the image forming apparatus are adjusted, and measurement relating to one-dimensional or two-dimensional fluctuation is not performed.
Therefore, there remains a problem that adjustment for correcting deterioration of graininess and sharpness highly correlated with fluctuation characteristics cannot be performed.

  The measurement methods described in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 6 measure the quality of an image actually output to a recording medium such as paper, and adjust the process conditions by feeding back to the image processing using the measurement result. Therefore, there is a problem that the running cost increases due to consumption of the recording medium for image quality measurement.

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus having a mechanism for reusing the developer described in Patent Document 5, the image quality is judged only from the mixing ratio of the reused developer and the unused developer, and the output is actually performed. There is no determination mechanism based on the image quality. For this reason, it is not possible to cope with a case where the image quality deteriorates due to other factors earlier than the developer replacement time determined from the mixing ratio due to the influence of the use environment or the like. For this reason, there is a problem that the developer is replaced even though there is no influence on the image quality, and an unnecessary replacement of the developer causes a complaint from the customer (user).

  Furthermore, in the techniques described in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 6, the state of the output device is measured, the state of the output device is stored in the own device, and internal adjustment is performed to stabilize the image quality. Yes. For this reason, when an output request is generated from a device connected to the network, it is impossible to select an optimum output device or an optimum image processing method, so that an image forming device connected to the network cannot be effectively used. There is.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and is equipped with a toner recycling function and outputs based on the measurement result of at least the shape of the image pattern formed on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member. Predicting image quality or predicting output image quality and judging the quality of the mixed developer in which unused developer and recovered developer are mixed, and the granularity, sharpness and gradation of important factors that determine image quality By adjusting the process conditions of image formation based on the tonality, it is possible to prevent abnormal images from occurring and always obtain high-quality images, improve CS (customer satisfaction), and realize low-cost operations. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming condition adjusting method, a program, and a recording medium.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member by an electrophotographic process, on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member. Image pattern measuring means for measuring at least the shape of the formed image pattern, image quality predicting means for predicting the quality of the output image based on the measurement result, image formation based on the image quality prediction result of the image quality predicting means The image forming condition adjusting means for adjusting the process condition is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the developer is stored, and the replaceable developer supplying means for supplying the developer to the developing means, and image forming The developer collecting means for collecting the unused developer and storing it again in the developer supplying means, and the unused developer and the collected developer stored in the developer supplying means are mixed. A mixed developer quality judging unit for judging the quality of the mixed developer, and the image forming condition adjusting unit is configured to display the image quality prediction result of the image quality predicting unit and the mixed developer quality judgment result of the mixed developer quality judging unit. The image forming process conditions are adjusted based on the above.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the process conditions for the image formation include a charge amount applied to the photoconductor, and a latent image on the photoconductor. It is at least one of a light amount, a developing bias, and a transfer bias.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the image quality prediction is performed by adjusting the image quality prediction and the image forming process conditions a predetermined number of times. The result is the quality of the output image.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the image pattern measuring unit measures each image forming unit having a different color, and the image quality predicting unit Based on the measurement result for each color, the quality of the output image for each color is predicted, and the image forming condition adjusting unit adjusts the image forming process condition for each image forming unit based on the image quality prediction result for each color. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image pattern measuring unit includes an average area and a standard deviation of dots constituting the image pattern or a dot deviation. The average circle equivalent diameter and standard deviation, or the line width and line edge width of the lines constituting the image pattern are measured.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the image pattern measuring means has a predetermined size or less of a toner image detected from the measured image. The toner particles are removed.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the image pattern measuring unit includes an illuminating unit using a substantially collimated light beam and a photoconductor or an intermediate transfer. An image forming unit that forms an image of a regular reflected light beam from a body, a photoelectric conversion element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by the image forming unit, and an image analysis unit.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the image quality characteristics predicted by the image quality predicting means are at least graininess, gradation, and sharpness. It is characterized by that.

  Further, according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the graininess predicted by the image quality predicting means is a standard deviation of a dot area or a dot circle equivalent diameter. It is calculated from the deviation.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the gradation characteristic predicted by the image quality predicting means is a linearity of a gradation characteristic curve, and a dot area. It is calculated from the average or the dot circle equivalent diameter average and a predetermined number of lines used to create a gradation image.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the sharpness predicted by the image quality predicting unit is an MTF at a specific spatial frequency, the line width and It is calculated from the line edge width.

  The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the image quality predicting unit sets the Mahalanobis distance of each characteristic value calculated by the image pattern measuring unit to a good value. It is calculated based on a reference space of the characteristic value set in advance for an image group determined to be image quality, and an image quality prediction value is calculated using the calculated Mahalanobis distance.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the measurement result requested from an arbitrary terminal provided with a network connection means and connected via the network. And / or returning the image quality prediction result to the requesting terminal.

  The invention of claim 15 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a network connection unit, wherein the measurement result and / or the image quality prediction result are set in a predetermined cycle. And transmitting to a terminal connected via a network registered in advance.

  In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, when the image quality prediction result reaches a predetermined value or less, the registrant registered in advance is provided. An informing means for informing information indicating that the image quality has deteriorated is provided.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the second to fifteenth aspects, the image quality prediction result obtained by adjusting the image quality prediction and image forming process conditions a plurality of times and the mixed developer quality determination Based on the result, it is determined whether or not the developer needs to be replaced. When it is determined that the replacement time required for the replacement of the developer has been reached, information on the replacement of the developer is notified to a registered registrant. It is characterized by providing an informing means.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that forms an image of an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member by an electrophotographic process, and a terminal device that requests output of an image processed by being connected to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device obtains the image quality obtained from the image forming apparatus prior to image processing. The image processing is performed by selecting an optimum image processing method based on the image quality prediction result predicted by the prediction unit and / or the measurement result of the image pattern measurement unit.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, a terminal apparatus that requests output of processed images from any one of the image forming apparatuses, and a network. In the connected image forming system, the terminal device requests the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result from a plurality of the image forming devices prior to image formation, and the image quality prediction result and / or An output device selection unit that selects a device that actually forms an image based on a measurement result is provided, and the terminal device requests the image forming device selected by the output device selection unit to output the processed image. It is characterized by doing so.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, a terminal apparatus that requests output of processed images from any of the image forming apparatuses, and a network. In the connected image forming system, the terminal device periodically requests the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result from a plurality of the image forming devices, and the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result responded. A result holding unit that holds the image in association with the image forming apparatus, and an output that selects an apparatus that actually forms the image based on the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result held in the result holding unit when the image is formed And a terminal selection unit configured to request the image forming apparatus selected by the output unit selection unit to output the processed image. To.

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, a terminal apparatus that requests output of processed images from any one of the image forming apparatuses, and a network. In the connected image forming system, the image forming apparatus periodically transmits the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result to the preset terminal apparatus, and the terminal apparatus receives the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus. A result holding unit for holding the image quality prediction result and / or measurement result in association with the image forming apparatus, and an actual image based on the image quality prediction result and / or measurement result held in the result holding unit when forming an image. An output device selecting unit that selects an image forming device; and the terminal device is processed with respect to the image forming device selected by the output device selecting unit Characterized in that so as to request the output of the image.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming system according to the nineteenth, twentieth, or twenty-first aspect, the output device selection unit includes the image quality prediction results and / or the measurement results obtained from a plurality of the image forming devices. A device that actually forms an image on the basis of the output image feature amount, and selects an optimum image processing method based on the image quality prediction result of the selected image forming device and the feature amount, and processes the image. It is characterized by doing so.

  The invention according to claim 23 is the image forming system according to claim 19, 20 or 21, wherein the output device selection means is the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result obtained from a plurality of the image forming devices. A device that actually forms an image is selected based on the type of image to be output, and an image is selected by selecting an optimal image processing method based on the image prediction result and / or measurement result of the selected image forming device and the image type. It is characterized in that it is processed.

  According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming condition adjusting method for adjusting an image forming process condition in an image forming apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member by an electrophotographic process. An image pattern measuring step for measuring at least a shape of an image pattern formed on the photosensitive member or the intermediate transfer member, an image quality prediction step for predicting the quality of an output image based on the measurement result, and the image quality prediction. An image forming condition adjusting step for adjusting an image forming process condition based on the result is provided.

  The invention according to claim 25 is the image forming condition adjusting method according to claim 24, wherein the quality of the mixed developer obtained by mixing the recovered developer not used for image formation and the unused developer is determined. A developer quality determination step, wherein the image formation condition adjustment step adjusts an image formation process condition based on the image quality prediction result and the mixed developer quality determination result;

A program according to a twenty-sixth aspect of the invention provides a computer with the function of the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects or the function of the image forming system according to any one of the eighteenth to twenty-third aspects, A program for executing the image forming condition adjusting method according to claim 24 or 25.
A recording medium according to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to the twenty-sixth aspect is recorded.

  According to the present invention, based on the measurement result of at least the shape of the image pattern formed on the photosensitive member or the intermediate transfer member, the quality of the output image is predicted and the graininess and sharpness are important factors that determine the image quality. By adjusting the process conditions of image formation based on tone characteristics, abnormal images can be prevented and always high quality images can be obtained, and CS (customer satisfaction) can be improved and low-cost operations can be realized. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can achieve this.

  In addition, the quality of the output image is predicted from the measurement result with good accuracy and stability, which is less affected by noise due to the density unevenness of the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer body, etc. than the density measurement by the detection of the conventional P sensor or the like, By adjusting the process conditions for image formation based on the prediction results, it is possible to make the most effective adjustment to the image quality that is finally perceived, preventing the occurrence of abnormal images and improving the quality of images. Quality can be reliably obtained.

  Furthermore, even if the material of the photoconductor or intermediate transfer member is changed, the maintenance staff does not have to change the set value, eliminating the problem of correction accuracy being reduced due to variations in material lots, and reliability for image quality. Can be improved. Further, the utilization rate is improved and the operation efficiency of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, the measurement pattern on the photoreceptor or intermediate transfer member is actually detected and measured, and the measurement results are fed back to image processing to adjust the process conditions for image formation. Since the recording medium such as the above is not consumed, the problem that the running cost rises can be solved, and the running cost can be reduced to contribute to the reduction of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

  In addition, by setting a certain reference value for the predicted image quality in advance and not clearing the reference value, a function for contacting the registered user and maintenance staff in advance is installed. The user) is freed from the work of checking the state of performance degradation of the image forming apparatus and the like, and can shorten the treatment period such as the operation stop of the image forming apparatus due to the image quality deterioration, and can improve the reliability. Further, the utilization rate is improved and the operation efficiency of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, maintenance personnel (service centers and maintenance personnel) of image forming apparatuses can easily grasp the performance deterioration of image forming apparatuses and can build a maintenance service system that can quickly respond to failures, thereby improving service quality. Differentiate the maintenance service.

  In addition, a developer that is not used for development and remains on the image carrier or the like is collected by a cleaning device, and the collected developer is returned to the developing device again to be reused. The developer replacement period is determined based on the quality of the mixed developer in which the developer and the collected developer are mixed, and the image quality that adjusts the image forming process conditions based on the granularity, sharpness, and gradation of the important factors that determine the image quality. Is installed on the display unit of the operation instruction unit of the image forming apparatus, or the service center or the image forming apparatus contracted in advance via the network. By notifying the administrator, it is possible to easily and reliably grasp the replacement time, eliminate unnecessary developer replacement, reduce waste (waste plastic), and prevent environmental pollution. Do not want. Furthermore, it is possible to perform replacement immediately, improve the accuracy of image quality, and improve the quality of service.

  In addition, even if quality deterioration of the developer is detected, the image quality can be improved by adjusting the image forming process conditions without changing the developer, and the usage period of the developer can be extended. Running cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, by storing the result of evaluating the output image from the image forming apparatus on the network in the storage device of the terminal device, the quality state of the latest image of the output device connected to the network from the terminal device is constantly displayed. Can grasp the information, select the most suitable output device at the time of output, select the most suitable image processing method, always obtain high quality images, improve CS (customer satisfaction) and realize low-cost operation. It is possible to provide an image forming system capable of

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the image forming system includes an image forming apparatus 200, a local area network (hereinafter referred to as LAN) 350, a terminal device 390, and the like.
Here, a plurality of image forming apparatuses and terminal apparatuses may be connected to the LAN as necessary.

  Then, the image forming apparatuses 200, 200a, and 200b predict the quality of the output image based on the measurement result of the shape of the image pattern formed on the photoconductor or the intermediate transfer body, and usually based on the prediction result. A function for adjusting the image forming process conditions used during image formation is installed, and the terminal device 390 selects an optimal image processing method from the measurement result and the image quality prediction result prior to the image output request. The function to execute image output is installed.

  The image forming apparatuses 200, 200a, 200b and the terminal device 390 are connected to a LAN 350, and the LAN 350 is connected to an external network via a router device (not shown). Furthermore, a terminal device (not shown) or a personal computer (not shown) used by a company (service maintenance staff, service center) or the like who is in charge of maintenance of the image forming apparatus 200 is connected to the external network.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, composite image formation is provided with a laser beam printer function that repeats, for each color, a toner image of each color superimposed on a photoconductor and transferred to paper, or a toner image is formed and transferred to paper. The present invention can be applied to apparatuses, copying machines, and printer apparatuses (monochrome laser beam printer apparatuses and digital color printer apparatuses). In this embodiment, a tandem digital color printer apparatus will be described as an example.

  The tandem type digital color printer apparatus of this embodiment includes an image reading apparatus and functions as a full-color copying machine. Of course, the image forming apparatus can also be applied to an apparatus that forms an image based on image data output from a personal computer such as the terminal device 390 without including an image reading device.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a tandem type digital color printer apparatus. The digital color printer apparatus main body 1 has an image reading device (IIT: Image Input Terminal) 4 for reading an image of a document 2 at an upper portion on one end side thereof. The digital color printer main body 1 includes image data output from an image reading device 4 or a personal computer (not shown), or a PSTN (public network) (not shown), a LAN 350, or the like. An image processing apparatus (IPS: Image Processing System) 12 that performs predetermined image processing on image data sent via the image data, and an image based on the image data that has been subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing apparatus 12 Output image output device (IOT: Image Output) erminal) 100 and are disposed.

  Inside the digital color printer main body 1, image forming units 13K for black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are provided as image forming units constituting the image output apparatus 100. 13Y, 13M, and 13C are arranged at regular intervals along the horizontal direction. Further, below the four image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C, an intermediate transfer belt 25 that transfers toner images of respective colors sequentially formed by these image forming units in a state of being superimposed on each other is indicated by an arrow. It is arrange | positioned so that rotation is possible along a direction. The toner images of each color transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 25 in a multiple manner are collectively transferred onto a recording paper 34 as a recording medium fed from a paper feed tray 39 and the like, and then fixed by a fixing device 37. It is fixed on the recording paper 34 and discharged to the outside.

  In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the image output apparatus 100 has black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) formed by the image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C. ) Are first transferred in a state where they are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 25, and then secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 25 onto the recording paper 34 to form a color image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and toner of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) formed by each image forming unit is described. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which a color image is formed by transferring an image on the recording paper 34 conveyed by the paper conveying belts 35 and 36 while being superimposed on each other. It is a matter of course.

  The order of colors of the image forming units is not limited to the order of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), but yellow (Y), magenta (M), Of course, the order of cyan (C) and black (K) may be used.

  Next, the image forming apparatus 200 to which the control device of the image output apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is applied will be described in more detail.

  A digital color printer apparatus main body 1 according to the present embodiment has a platen cover that presses the document 2 against the platen glass 5 and an image reading device that reads an image of the document 2 placed on the platen glass 5. 4 is arranged. The image reading device 4 illuminates a document 2 placed on a platen glass 5 with a light source 6, and reflects a reflected light image from the document 2 from a full-rate mirror 7, half-rate mirrors 8 and 9, and an imaging lens 10. The image reading element 11 composed of a CCD or the like is scanned and exposed through a reduction optical system, and the color material reflected light image of the document 2 is formed at a predetermined dot density (for example, 16 dots / mm) by the image reading element 11. It is configured to read.

  The color material reflected light image of the document 2 read by the image reading device 4 is, for example, an image processing device as document reflectivity data of three colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) (8 bits each). 12 (Image Processing System), and the image processing apparatus 12 performs shading correction, position shift correction, brightness / color space conversion, gamma correction, frame deletion, color / movement for the reflectance data of the document 2. Predetermined image processing such as editing is performed.

  The image data that has undergone predetermined image processing by the image processing apparatus 12 is an original color material floor of four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) (each 8 bits). ROS of the image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C for each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) as described below. (Raster Output Scanner) 14, and in these ROS 14, image exposure with a laser beam is performed according to document color material gradation data of a predetermined color.

  By the way, inside the tandem-type digital color printer main body 1 of the present embodiment, four images of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are formed by the configuration described above. Units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C are arranged in parallel at regular intervals in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the four image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C of the present embodiment are all configured in the same manner, and are roughly divided and rotated at a predetermined rotational speed along the arrow direction. The photosensitive drum 15, the primary charging scorotron 16 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 15, and an image corresponding to each color on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 to expose an electrostatic latent image. From the ROS 14 as the image exposure device to be formed, the developing device 17 for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 15, the cleaning device 18, the toner supply pipe 49, and the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ROS 14 modulates the semiconductor laser 19 according to the original color material gradation data, and emits a laser beam LB from the semiconductor laser 19 according to the gradation data. The laser beam LB emitted from the semiconductor laser 19 is deflected and scanned by the rotary polygon mirror 22 via the reflection mirrors 20 and 21, and the image is again held via the reflection mirrors 20 and 21 and the plurality of reflection mirrors 23 and 24. Scanning exposure is performed on the photosensitive drum 15 as a body.

  From the image processing device 12, image data (raster data) of each color is supplied to the ROS 14 of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Are sequentially output, and laser beams LB emitted according to image data from these ROSs 14 are scanned and exposed on the surfaces of the respective photosensitive drums 15 to form electrostatic latent images. The electrostatic latent image formed on each photoconductor drum 15 is developed by the developing unit 17 as a toner image of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C).

  The black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toner images sequentially formed on the photosensitive drums 15 of the image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C On the intermediate transfer belt 25 as an intermediate transfer member disposed below the image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C, the images are transferred in multiple by the primary transfer roll 26. The intermediate transfer belt 25 is wound around the drive roll 27, the stripping roll 28, the steering roll 29, the idle roll 30, the backup roll 31, and the idle roll 32 with a constant tension. A drive roll 27 that is rotationally driven by a dedicated drive motor (not shown) having excellent constant speed is circulated at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. As the intermediate transfer belt 25, a flexible synthetic resin film such as polyimide is formed in a band shape, and both ends of the synthetic resin film formed in this band shape are connected by means such as welding, thereby forming an endless belt shape. Used.

  The black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 25 are transferred by the secondary transfer roll 33 in pressure contact with the backup roll 31. The recording paper 34 that has been secondarily transferred onto the recording paper 34 by the pressure contact force and electrostatic force and onto which the toner images of the respective colors have been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 37 by the two conveying belts 35 and 36. Then, the recording paper 34 on which the toner images of the respective colors are transferred undergoes fixing processing with heat and pressure by a fixing device 37 and is discharged onto a discharge tray 38 provided outside the digital color printer main body 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper 34 has a predetermined size from any of a plurality of paper feed trays 39, 40, 41, and a pair of paper feed rollers 42 and a pair of paper transport rollers 43, 44, The paper is once transported to a registration roll 47 through a paper transport path 46 composed of 45. The recording paper 34 supplied from any of the paper feed trays 39, 40, 41 is sent onto the intermediate transfer belt 25 by a registration roll 47 that is rotationally driven at a predetermined timing.

  In the four image forming units 13K, 13Y, 13M, and 13C of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, as described above, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images are respectively predetermined. These are sequentially formed at the timings.

  It should be noted that after the toner image transfer process is completed, residual toner and paper dust are removed from the photosensitive drum 15 by the cleaning device 18. The residual toner is collected by the cleaning device 18, and the residual toner is re-stored in the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 through the toner supply pipe 49 by a conveying screw (not shown).

A toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 supplies a mixed developer in which an unused developer and a collected developer are mixed to the developing device 17 and prepares for the next image forming process. Further, residual toner is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 25 by a belt cleaner 48.
In addition, the toner hopper (toner replenishing portion) 50 is detachably disposed at a predetermined position so that it can be easily replaced.

  Next, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 200 includes a control unit 210, an image forming unit 220, and image measurement. Unit 230, image quality prediction unit 240, process condition calculation unit 250, storage unit 260, mixed developer determination unit 270, notification unit 280, communication control unit 290, internal bus 320, connector 300, and facsimile The modem 310 is configured.

  The control unit 210, the image forming unit 220, the image measurement unit 230, the image quality prediction unit 240, the process condition calculation unit 250, the storage unit 260, the mixed developer determination unit 270, the notification unit 280, and the communication control unit 290 are internal buses. The data and control commands are exchanged between these elements via the internal bus 320.

The control unit 210 performs various control processes such as overall control of the image forming apparatus 200 and control of each element.
The image forming unit 220 forms an image based on the process condition calculated by the process condition calculating unit 250.
The image measurement unit 230 detects the measurement pattern on the photoconductor or intermediate transfer member created by the image forming unit 220 and measures the shape of the image.
The image quality prediction unit 240 calculates a predicted value of image quality when output on a recording medium such as paper based on the measurement amount calculated by the image measurement unit 230.

The process condition calculation unit 250 calculates an image formation process condition based on the image quality predicted by the image quality prediction unit 240 and passes the calculation result to the image formation unit 220.
The storage unit 260 temporarily stores a control processing program executed by the control unit 210, various data necessary for executing the control processing program, and results calculated by the respective units, and a work area of the control unit 210. Configure.

  The mixed developer determination unit 270 determines the amount of developer recovered based on the amount of developer supplied from the toner hopper (toner replenishment unit) 50 to the developing device 17 and the capacity and supply amount of the toner hopper (toner replenishment unit) 50. By comparing, the ratio of the collected developer in the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 is acquired, the quality of the developer is obtained, and the quality of the mixed developer is determined.

The notification unit 280 is a registrant (user and administrator of the image forming apparatus 200 or an image forming apparatus) in which information such as an image quality prediction result, predicted output image quality, image quality deterioration, and developer replacement is registered in advance. A maintenance staff member in charge of maintenance of the apparatus 200).
The communication control unit 290 is connected to a facsimile modem 310 for connecting the image forming apparatus 200 to a PSTN (public line network) (not shown) in a G3 facsimile transmission control procedure and a connector 300 for connecting to the LAN 350. Performs control processing related to communication.

The connector 300 mounts a NIC (Network Interface Card), connects the image forming apparatus 200 to an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable of the LAN 350, and functions as a transmission control procedure such as TCP / IP and SMTP / POP are secured. ing.
The facsimile modem 310 has a function of a G3 facsimile modem.

Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image measurement unit 230 provided in the image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the image measurement unit 230 includes a pattern detection unit 60 and an image memory 231. And an analysis unit 232, a control unit 233, and an internal bus 234.
The pattern detection unit 60, the image memory 231, the analysis unit 232, and the control unit 233 are connected to an internal bus 234, and data and control commands are exchanged between these elements via the internal bus 234. Is called.

The control unit 233 performs various control processes such as overall control of the image measurement unit 230 and control of each element.
The pattern detection unit 60 detects the measurement pattern formed on the intermediate transfer member and reads the measurement image.
The image memory 231 temporarily stores the image detected by the pattern detection unit 60 and stores the measurement value calculated by analysis by the analysis unit 232.
The analysis unit 232 analyzes the measurement pattern read by the pattern detection unit 60 and calculates measurement values such as a dot area, a standard deviation of the dot area, a line width, and a line edge width. The calculated measurement value is stored in the image memory 231 and sent to the image quality prediction unit 240 of the image forming apparatus 200.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows an example of the data structure of a management table 700 that stores information on notification destinations for communicating various information generated in the image forming apparatus 200. The management table 700 is composed of the following items. This management table is referred to by the notification unit 280 of the image forming apparatus 200. Registration, update, and deletion are performed by an administrator of the image forming apparatus 200 or maintenance personnel in charge of maintenance.

Notification destination identifier 700a:
Stores the notification destination identifier to be contacted.
The identifier is an identifier of an administrator, a user, or a maintenance person of the image forming apparatus 200.
Notification destination name 700b:
Stores the name of the notification destination for reporting various information.
Device type 700c:
Stores the device type of the notification destination that communicates various information.
The device type is a terminal device or a facsimile device.
Identification information 700d:
The mail address of the notification destination device, the Internet facsimile address (IP address or domain name of the Internet facsimile), and the facsimile number (FAX number) are stored.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the pattern detection unit 60 for reading the measurement pattern formed on the intermediate transfer body of the image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. Then, the intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) 25 is illuminated, and the reflected light is imaged on a photoelectric conversion element 63 such as a CCD sensor by an imaging lens 62, and a toner image formed on the intermediate transfer member 25 is formed. read. At this time, the photoelectric conversion element 63 may be a one-dimensional line sensor in which elements are arranged one-dimensionally or an area sensor in which elements are arranged two-dimensionally.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a measurement pattern formed on the intermediate transfer member, and is composed of a pattern in which dots and lines are periodically arranged.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a pattern detection unit configured to convert the illumination light beam that illuminates the measurement pattern into a substantially parallel light and to image the specularly reflected light from the intermediate transfer member. In FIG. A one-dimensional or two-dimensional LED array is shown, and a light beam from a light source 61 is diffused by a diffusion plate 64, and a functional film that restricts the light distribution direction of a transmitted light beam, commonly called a light control film, is used. The parallel light is vertically incident on the intermediate transfer body 25 by the half mirror 66. Then, the reflected light beam from the intermediate transfer body 25 is imaged on the photoelectric conversion element 63 by the imaging lens 62, and the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 25 is read.

This embodiment does not limit the method of making the illumination light substantially parallel to using a functional film such as a light control film as described above, and obtains a similar effect by combining lenses. Of course, it is also good.
Also, the illumination and the imaging direction are not limited to vertical epi-illumination, but may be in a relative positional relationship for detecting a specularly reflected light beam. However, when a two-dimensional image is obtained using an area sensor from an oblique direction, it is needless to say that a correction process for correcting image distortion is required.

Next, the image quality prediction unit 240 calculates a predicted value of image quality when output on a recording medium such as paper, based on the measurement amount calculated by the image measurement unit 230.
Further, the process condition calculation unit 250 determines a process condition for image output based on the predicted value of the image quality calculated by the image quality prediction unit 240. At this time, of course, a reference value of image quality may be set in advance, and the output condition may be adjusted according to the magnitude of deviation from the reference value.

At this time, when the measurement pattern formed on the intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) 25 is detected and the analysis unit 232 measures the dot area or the like, the image is transferred from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transfer member. A lot of toner scattering occurs. Many of these small toner particles are not actually transferred to paper, and do not affect the quality of the final image.
Therefore, by removing fine particles from the detected image data prior to measurement of the measurement pattern, toner particles that are not transferred to a recording medium such as paper can be removed, and more accurate image quality prediction is possible. .

Next, details of the image quality predicted by the image quality prediction unit 240 and the prediction method will be described. In general, graininess, sharpness, and gradation are important factors that determine image quality. By obtaining image quality evaluation values for at least three factors, the quality of finally forming an image can be evaluated.
However, it goes without saying that the image quality evaluation value predicted by the present embodiment is not limited to only the three factors of graininess, sharpness, and gradation. For example, it is needless to say that evaluation values such as banding, color misregistration, and background stains may be added.

First, the graininess prediction method will be described. The pattern composed of dots in the measurement pattern in FIG. 7 shows a halftone dot pattern of 600 dpi, 150 lines, and 0 degrees, and each point in the figure is composed of 2 × 2 dots.
However, according to the inventor's experiment, the reproducibility of 1 × 1 dots is often extremely poor in the electrophotographic process, and even when the area of 1 × 1 dots is measured, the granularity is not good at all gradation levels. It has been found that the correlation is low, and it is preferable to use a dot pattern of at least 1 × 2 dots or more, preferably 2 × 2 dots.

Next, FIG. 9 shows the standard deviation calculated by measuring the area of each point of the pattern shown in FIG. 7 on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member, and the average grain size actually measured by outputting several types of gradation data. It is a diagram showing the correlation with the degree, and it can be seen that there is a high correlation between the standard deviation of the dot area and the average granularity. The granularity shown in FIG. 9 calculates the spatial frequency component of fluctuation for each component, corrects the visual spatial frequency characteristic, and integrates the spatial frequency component of fluctuation for each component with respect to the RGB image signal input. Then, the average brightness is corrected and the value output as the evaluation value is used (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23191).
Therefore, by measuring the standard deviation of the dot area, the average graininess of the image can be predicted without actually outputting it on paper.

  Next, in measuring the area of each point, as shown in FIG. 10, the measurement pattern is divided into rectangular regions including one dot, and the measurement pattern is transferred thereto. At this time, the image is binarized at a predetermined threshold level using a measured amount such as reflectance, and the sum of pixels classified on the low reflectance side by binarization is multiplied by the area per pixel. Is calculated as the dot area in each region, and the area of each point is measured.

Next, the relationship between the standard deviation of the area and the granularity of the output image shown in FIG. 9 includes measurement results with a plurality of lines (106 lines, 150 lines, 212 lines), and the same pattern The fact that it does not depend on the number of lines as long as it is used is a matter found by the inventors' experiments.
Therefore, the measurement pattern used for predicting graininess should be the same pattern even when the output device model and halftone processing are different. Since the gradient of the granularity with respect to the deviation is different, accurate image quality prediction cannot be performed, so the same pattern must be used.

Further, instead of the standard deviation of the dot area, from the area calculated for each rectangular area, the radius of a circle that gives an area equal to the area (this is called the equivalent circle diameter) may be calculated, Values such as brightness and density calculated from the area ratio in the rectangular region and the area ratio may be used.
The granularity prediction formula using the standard deviation of the dot area is shown in (1).

Granularity = 472.5 × [standard deviation of dot area] −0.1 (1)
The equivalent circle diameter is expressed as r = √ (S / π), where r is the radius and S is the total area of the toner in each rectangular area shown in FIG.

  Next, a gradation property is defined as the brightness characteristic of the output image with respect to the input image signal, and a method of predicting the gradation property will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the contribution rate when the lightness characteristic is linearly regressed, and the product of the average area of the dots of the pattern used for the granularity prediction and the number of lines used for the output as described above. It is. Although an example of a prediction formula is shown in Formula (2), of course, this invention is not limited to this.

  Gradation linearity = −0.23 × [dot area] × [number of lines] −0.5 (2)

  Here, the higher the contribution rate when the lightness characteristic is linearly regressed (closer to 1), the more linear the lightness characteristic is. Lightness is a psychophysical quantity configured to be linear with human brightness perception. The linearity of the output characteristics of the output device means that all output gradations have the same difference from the adjacent gradations, and the gradations may be crushed or the gradations may jump at a certain level. This means that it is less likely to occur, indicating that the tone characteristics of the engine are the most suitable state.

  Finally, a sharpness prediction method will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a result of predicting MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) at a spatial frequency of 6 c / mm by using the line width and the edge width of the line according to the equation (3). Both show a high correlation, and it can be seen that the MTF can be predicted from the shape characteristics of the line.

Sharpness = −4.6 × | ideal line width−line width | −4.1 × [line edge width] +0.76 (3)

The present invention is not limited to the prediction of the MTF using the expression (3), and the MTF may be predicted using the number or area of toner particles scattered between the lines as a measurement amount instead of the edge width. Of course.
The line width is calculated as the number of pixels in the line width direction in a binary image obtained by binarizing the detected pattern image with a predetermined threshold level calculated from the maximum and minimum values of the reflectance of the image. be able to. The line width calculation method is defined in JIS X 6930, and it is needless to say that the line width may be measured by a method according to this.
The line edge width can be obtained as 1/2 of the difference value of the line width at the time when the line width is measured at two different threshold levels.

  Next, processing for determining the process condition items to be adjusted and the adjustment amount at the time of image formation will be described. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are flowcharts for explaining the processing procedure for determining the item of the process condition and the adjustment amount to be adjusted from the shape characteristics of the dot pattern and the line pattern on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member.

  First, a measurement image pattern is created on the intermediate transfer member (step S100). The created image pattern is read by the pattern detection unit 60 of the image measurement unit 230 (step S101), the detected image is temporarily stored in the image memory 231, and the read pattern is dot-aread by the analysis unit 232 of the image measurement unit 230. Then, the measured values such as the standard deviation of the dot area, the line width, and the line edge width are calculated (step S102).

  Next, the image quality prediction unit 240 calculates a predicted value of image quality when output on a recording medium such as paper based on the measurement amount calculated by the image measurement unit 230 (step S103), and calculates the calculated result as an image. The data is stored in the storage unit 260 of the forming apparatus 200 (step S104).

As a result of the image quality prediction, whether or not the image quality is sufficient is verified. When process control is necessary (YES in step S105), the process condition calculation unit 250 performs image formation based on the image quality predicted by the image quality prediction unit 240. The process condition item and the adjustment amount are calculated (step S106), the process condition item of the image forming unit 220 is controlled with the calculated adjustment amount, and the process is terminated (step S107).
On the other hand, if the image quality prediction result is sufficient (NO in step S105), the process ends.

With the configuration described above, it is possible to evaluate the graininess, gradation and sharpness from the shape characteristics of the dot pattern and line pattern on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member without actually outputting them to a recording medium such as paper. it can.
It is also possible to determine what causes the most deterioration in the quality perceived in the final image, and to determine the process condition items to be adjusted and the adjustment amount. For example, if the graininess characteristics are poor, this occurs because the dot reproduction is unstable, so it is stable by increasing the dot size to be reproduced by increasing the exposure amount in the image formation process conditions. Can be achieved.

  However, there is almost no case where one adjustment item is independent of, for example, graininess alone, and in many cases, there is an interaction. For example, when the graininess is improved, the gradation is deteriorated. Therefore, it is possible to set the process conditions for image formation in an optimum state by repeating measurement and adjustment of process conditions a plurality of times.

Next, a process for setting the image forming process conditions to an optimum state by repeating measurement and adjustment of the process conditions a plurality of times will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure for determining items and adjustment amounts of process conditions that should be adjusted repeatedly by measuring and adjusting process conditions a plurality of times.
FIG. 14 repeats the measurement of FIG. 13 and the adjustment of the process conditions for a set number of times, so that the description is omitted.

  In the above configuration, the number of adjustments of measurement and process conditions is set at the beginning, and if it is determined that the image quality prediction result is sufficient image quality even within the set number of times, the process conditions do not need to be adjusted. May be terminated. Further, even when the adjustment result is not sufficient image quality, the adjustment is not repeated more than the set number of times so as not to make unnecessary adjustments.

  In addition, in the case of a color printer, the image quality prediction based on the shape characteristics of the measurement pattern described above is preferably performed for each unit that forms a toner image of each color, but the image quality for a representative color (for example, black) is predicted, Of course, the process conditions may be adjusted.

Furthermore, the image quality can be predicted using the Mahalanobis distance. For example, various process conditions are changed in advance to create a group of images with various image quality, subjective evaluation is performed on this, an image group determined to have good image quality is extracted, and the extracted image is used. Create a reference space. The Mahalanobis distance is calculated based on the reference space for each measurement value actually measured and evaluated on the photoconductor or intermediate transfer member, and the image quality is predicted from the Mahalanobis distance of each measurement value. Calculate the value. Furthermore, the desired small SN ratio is calculated for each measurement value from the Mahalanobis distance, and the image quality is evaluated based on the desired small SN ratio.
In this way, by predicting image quality using Mahalanobis distance, measurement quantities with different dimensions such as area and width can be handled as (Mahalanobis) distance from the reference space, so image quality judgment and evaluation scale construction Can be performed efficiently.

  With the configuration described above, the quality of the output image is predicted based on at least the shape measurement result of the image pattern formed on the photoconductor or intermediate transfer body, and the granularity and sharpness are important factors that determine the image quality. By adjusting the process conditions of image formation from the characteristics and gradation, abnormal images can be prevented and always high-quality images can be obtained, and CS (customer satisfaction) is improved and low-cost operation is realized. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be configured.

  In addition, the quality of the output image is predicted from the measurement result with good accuracy and stability, which is less affected by noise due to the density unevenness of the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer body, etc. than the density measurement by the detection of the conventional P sensor or the like, By adjusting the process conditions for image formation based on the prediction results, it is possible to make the most effective adjustment to the image quality that is finally perceived, preventing the occurrence of abnormal images and improving the quality of images. Quality can be reliably obtained.

  Furthermore, even if the material of the photoconductor or intermediate transfer member is changed, the maintenance staff does not have to change the set value, eliminating the problem of correction accuracy being reduced due to variations in material lots, and improving the reliability of image quality. The utilization rate is improved, and the operation efficiency of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, the measurement pattern on the photoreceptor or intermediate transfer member is actually detected and measured, and the measurement results are fed back to image processing to adjust the process conditions for image formation. Since the recording medium such as the above is not consumed, the problem that the running cost rises can be solved, and the running cost can be reduced to contribute to the reduction of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

  In addition, by setting a certain reference value for the predicted image quality in advance and not clearing the reference value, a function for contacting the registered user and maintenance staff in advance is installed. The user) is freed from the work of checking the state of performance degradation of the image forming apparatus, etc., and the treatment period such as the operation stop of the image forming apparatus due to the image quality deterioration can be shortened, and the reliability can be improved. The operating efficiency of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  Next, processing for notifying deterioration of image quality at the time of image formation will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

This process is automatically started when the power is turned on and various initialization processes are completed. Image quality degradation is monitored at a preset cycle, and when the monitoring condition is reached (YES in step S150), the image quality prediction result stored in the storage unit 260 is acquired (step S151).
The obtained image quality prediction result is compared with a preset reference value. If the prediction result is equal to or less than the reference value (NO in step S152), the notification process is controlled to notify that the image quality has deteriorated. When the control returns from the notification process (step S153), the control is transferred to step S150 for monitoring, and the process is continued.
On the other hand, if the image quality prediction result is greater than or equal to the reference value (YES in step S152), then control is passed to step S150 for monitoring, and the process is continued.

  Next, a process for notifying various kinds of information generated in the image forming apparatus to a registered person (maintenance staff or manager in charge of maintenance) in advance will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

First, the management table 700 is searched, and various types of information related to the notification destination are acquired from the entry corresponding to the information type to be notified (step S160).
Next, in order to verify the type of the notification destination terminal device, device type 700c is acquired from the notification destination entry, and when the notification destination device is a terminal device (YES in step S161), a notification message for the terminal device is sent. It is created (step S162), the network address (IP address) is acquired from the identification information 700d of the notification destination entry, and the created message is sent to the network via the connector 300 by the communication control unit 290 (step S163). If this notification is completed for all notification destination registrants (YES in step S166), the control is returned to the call destination and the processing is terminated.
On the other hand, if there is still an uncontacted person (NO in step S166), the control is transferred to step S160 and the process is continued for notification to the next registrant.

If the notification destination apparatus is a facsimile apparatus (NO in step S161), a notification message for the facsimile apparatus is created (step S164), and a facsimile number (FAX number) is acquired from the identification information 700d of the notification destination entry. Then, the facsimile machine to be notified is called through the facsimile modem 310 and the created message is transmitted (step S165). If this notification is completed for all notification destination registrants (YES in step S166), the control is returned to the call destination and the processing is terminated.
On the other hand, if there is still an uncontacted person (NO in step S166), the control is transferred to step S160 and the process is continued for notification to the next registrant.

  With the configuration described above, when a predetermined reference value is set for the image quality predicted in advance and the reference value is not cleared, a registrant registered in advance (user, administrator, and maintenance staff) By installing the function to contact the customer, the customer (user) can be released from the work of checking the status of the performance of the image forming apparatus and the like, and can shorten the treatment period such as the stop of the operation of the image forming apparatus due to the image quality degradation. Thus, reliability can be improved, utilization rate can be improved, and operation efficiency of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, maintenance personnel (service centers and maintenance personnel) of image forming apparatuses can easily grasp the performance deterioration of image forming apparatuses and can build a maintenance service system that can quickly respond to failures, thereby improving service quality. Differentiate the maintenance service.

  Next, a toner recycling function for collecting toner remaining on the image carrier and the like that is not used for development by the cleaning device 18 and returning the collected developer to the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 for reuse is installed. When the mixed developer is supplied, the influence on the image quality due to the deterioration of the developer quality will be described.

  The toner hopper (toner replenishment unit) 50 supplies the mixed developer in which the unused developer and the collected developer are mixed to the developing unit 17 by re-storing the residual developer collected by the cleaning device 18. Therefore, when a large amount of output is performed, the ratio of the collected developer stored in the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 increases, and the quality of the developer deteriorates.

  The amount of developer collected in the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 can be obtained based on the amount of developer supplied from the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50 to the developing device 17. Thus, the ratio of the collected developer in the developer supply unit can be obtained, and the quality of the developer can be obtained.

  The influence on the image quality due to the deterioration of the developer quality can be obtained with higher accuracy than by judging from the mere amount of collected developer by predicting the image quality using the measurement pattern described above. Image quality degradation due to developer quality deterioration can be corrected to some extent by adjusting process conditions, and process condition adjustment is determined using image quality prediction results and developer quality judgment results.

For example, since the collected developer deteriorates the charging characteristics of the toner, the toner agitation time and the charging voltage are adjusted.
However, there is a limit to the adjustment for the deterioration of the developer, and when the developer is significantly deteriorated, the image quality becomes a certain level or less. It is determined that it is time to replace the toner hopper (toner supply unit) 50.

  Next, the processing when the toner recycling function is installed and the predicted image quality is lowered and the quality of the mixed developer is deteriorated will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the number of times of measurement and adjustment of process conditions is initialized to zero (step S170).
Next, a measurement pattern is created on the intermediate transfer member, read by the pattern detection unit 60 of the image measurement unit 230, the detected image is temporarily stored in the image memory 231, and the read pattern is stored in the image measurement unit 230. The analysis unit 232 calculates the measured values such as the dot area, the standard deviation of the dot area, the line width, and the line edge width (step S171).

Next, the image quality prediction unit 240 calculates a predicted value of image quality when output on a recording medium such as paper based on the measurement amount calculated by the image measurement unit 230, and stores the calculated result in the storage unit 260. Save (step S172).
Next, when process control is not necessary (NO in step S173), the process is terminated for sufficient image quality.
On the other hand, when the process control is necessary because the image quality as a result of the image quality prediction is insufficient (YES in step S173), the process condition calculation unit 250 sets the process conditions for image formation based on the image quality predicted by the image quality prediction unit 240. Items and adjustment amounts are calculated, and the process conditions of the image forming unit 220 are controlled (step S174).

If the preset number of iterations has not been reached (NO in step S175), the preset number of iterations is decremented by 1 (step S176), and control is passed to step S171 to adjust the next measurement and process conditions. Transfer.
On the other hand, when the preset number of times of processing (measurement and prediction) has been executed (YES in step S175), it is impossible to correct the image quality by adjusting the process conditions, and in the case of image quality deterioration due to developer deterioration ( YES in step S177), it is determined that it is time to replace the toner hopper (toner replenishing unit) 50, and a message for prompting replacement (display of a lamp, an alarm, etc.) At the same time, in order to notify the user or through a network connected to the image forming apparatus 200 to notify the service center or the administrator of the image forming apparatus 200 contracted in advance, control is transferred to the notification process, and the control is notified. When the process returns, the process is terminated (step S178).

  If the image forming unit 220 has not deteriorated but the image forming unit 220 has deteriorated image quality (NO in step S177), a notification message (lamp lighting or warning) indicating that a failure has occurred in the image forming apparatus 200 is displayed. In addition to being displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the operation instruction unit of the apparatus 200, a notification process is controlled to notify a service center or a manager of the image forming apparatus 200 that has contracted in advance through a network connected to the image forming apparatus 200. When the control returns from the notification process, the process is terminated (step S179).

  The above-described configuration is equipped with a so-called toner recycling mechanism that collects the developer remaining on the image carrier, etc. without being used for development, with a cleaning device, and returns the collected developer to the developing unit for reuse. From the image quality that adjusts the process conditions of image formation from the quality of the mixed developer in which unused developer and recovered developer are mixed, and the granularity, sharpness, and gradation of the important factors that determine the image quality By installing a function for detecting the replacement time of the developer, a message prompting the replacement of the developer can be displayed on the display unit of the operation instruction unit of the image forming apparatus, or a service center contracted in advance via the network or By notifying the administrator of the image forming device, it is possible to easily and reliably grasp the replacement time, eliminate unnecessary developer replacement, and reduce waste (waste plastic). And, it leads to prevention of environmental pollution. Furthermore, it is possible to perform replacement immediately, improve the accuracy of image quality, and improve the quality of service.

  In addition, even if quality deterioration of the developer is detected, the image quality can be improved by adjusting the image forming process conditions without changing the developer, and the usage period of the developer can be extended. Running cost can be reduced.

  Next, FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the terminal device 390 in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 18, the terminal device 390 includes a control unit 391, an operation instruction unit 392, and image processing. Unit 393, image type determination unit 394, output device selection unit 395, image processing method selection unit 396, storage unit 397, communication control unit 398, image feature quantity calculation unit 399, and internal bus 400. .

  In addition, the control unit 391, the operation instruction unit 392, the image processing unit 393, the image type determination unit 394, the output device selection unit 395, the image processing method selection unit 396, the storage unit 397, the communication control unit 398, and the image feature amount calculation unit 399. Are connected to the internal bus 400, and data and control commands are exchanged between these elements via the internal bus 400.

The control unit 391 performs various control processes such as overall control of the terminal device 390 and control of each element.
The operation instruction unit 392 operates the terminal device 390, and includes a keyboard having various operation keys and a display unit that displays various information.
The image processing unit 393 performs optimal processing according to the image quality characteristics of the output device.
The image type determination unit 394 determines the type of image to be output, for example, a character image, a natural image, a figure, and the like, and selects an output device and an image processing method according to the type determination result.
The output device selection unit 395 is equipped with an optimal function for an image to be output, and selects the image forming device 200 having the best quality.

The image processing method selection unit 396 selects an optimum process according to the image quality characteristic of the image forming apparatus 200 selected by the output device selection unit 395 and outputs the selected processing method to the image processing unit 393.
The storage unit 397 temporarily stores a control processing program executed by the control unit 391, various data necessary for executing the control processing program, and results calculated by the respective units, and a work area of the control unit 391. Configure.

The communication control unit 398 includes a NIC (Network Interface Card), connects the image forming apparatus 200 to an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable of the LAN 350, and secures functions as a transmission control procedure such as TCP / IP and SMTP / POP. Has been.
The image feature amount calculation unit 399 calculates the feature amount such as the histogram distribution of the image to be output, the complexity of the image structure, and the spatial frequency characteristic, and selects an output device and an image processing method according to the feature amount. .

  Next, a process for selecting an image forming apparatus 200 optimal for an output image when an output request is made from the terminal apparatus 390 to the image forming apparatus 200 connected to the network will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

When image output processing occurs in the terminal device 390 connected to the network, the image type determination unit 394 performs image type output (character image, natural image, figure, etc.) and temporarily stores the determination result. The data is stored in the unit 397 (step S190).
This image type is not limited to object information such as characters, natural images, graphics, etc., but it calculates feature quantities such as histogram distribution of output images, complexity of image structure, and spatial frequency characteristics, and classifies them based on image feature quantities. Of course, it may be.

Next, the terminal apparatus 390 issues an output image quality prediction request to the image forming apparatus 200 connected to the network via the network 350, and the terminal apparatus 390 waits to receive an image quality prediction value from the image forming apparatus 200. (Step S191).
Receiving the image quality prediction request, the image forming apparatus 200 forms a measurement pattern on the intermediate transfer member, predicts the image quality of the output image, and transmits the image quality prediction result to the requesting terminal device 390 ( Step S192).

  Upon receiving the image quality prediction value from the image forming apparatus 200, the terminal device 390 stores the received image quality prediction value in the storage unit 397 (step S193).

Next, when the output image quality prediction request has not been issued to all the image forming apparatuses 200 connected on the network (NO in step S194), the control is moved to step S191 to issue the request, and the processing is performed. Continue.
On the other hand, when the image quality prediction request is issued to all the image forming apparatuses 200 (YES in step S194), the output apparatus selecting unit 395 selects the image forming apparatus 200 suitable for the type of image to be output and the optimum image processing method. (Step S195).
If the type of image is a character image, the output device selection unit 395 selects the image forming apparatus 200 that is superior in sharpness to graininess. Further, if the image type is a natural image, the weight of graininess in selection is increased. Of course, if the image type is an image in which characters and natural images are mixed, the image type may be determined in consideration of the area ratio in the page.

The image processing unit 393 performs optimal image processing according to the image quality characteristics of the image forming apparatus 200 selected by the output device selecting unit 395, transmits the processed result to the selected image forming apparatus 200, and outputs an image output. This is performed (step S196).
Here, the optimum image processing is selected from the image quality prediction result such as the calculated granularity, sharpness, and gradation, and the type determination result. When the gradation or granularity is poor, dither, line Set the number low and finely set when the gradation or graininess is good.
Further, when the gradation is poor, a plurality of sub-matrices are used, and when the gradation is good, the number of sub-matrices to be used is reduced. Furthermore, the processing is selected such that the dither is rough when the sharpness is poor and is fine when the sharpness is good.

  In the above configuration, when the image forming apparatus 200 and the terminal apparatus 390 are connected on the network in a one-to-one relationship, the image forming apparatus 200 is not selected, but the functions and image quality installed in the image forming apparatus 200 are not selected. An optimum process corresponding to the characteristic is selected and executed.

In the above description, the image quality prediction is performed when an output request is issued from the terminal device 390 to the image forming apparatus 200 connected to the network. However, the image forming apparatus 200 periodically performs image quality prediction. The image quality prediction result is stored in the storage unit 260 of the image forming apparatus 200, and when the output request is received from the terminal device 390, the latest image quality prediction result is acquired from the storage unit 260 and transmitted to the terminal device 390. Of course, you may make it do.
Thereby, the time required for output can be shortened.

Further, the terminal device 390 periodically issues an image quality prediction to the image forming apparatus 200, and the result is stored in the storage unit 397 of the terminal device 390 and stored in the storage unit 397 when an output request is made. Of course, the image forming apparatus 200 that outputs an image may be selected from the image quality prediction result.
Further, the image forming apparatus 200 may perform image quality prediction at a predetermined period set in advance and transmit the measurement result to the terminal apparatus 390 set in advance, or the image forming apparatus 200 may perform image quality prediction. Of course, the measurement result obtained by the prediction may be held in the storage unit 260 and the image quality prediction result may be transmitted to the terminal device 390 set in advance.

  With the configuration described above, the latest quality state of the output image by the image forming apparatus 200 on the network can be always grasped from the terminal device, and the optimum output device and image processing method can be selected at the time of output. It is possible to provide an image forming system that can always obtain a high-quality image and can further improve customer (user) satisfaction.

According to the present invention, each function constituting the image forming apparatus and the terminal device according to the above-described embodiment is programmed, written in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in advance, and provided in the image forming apparatus and the terminal device. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is achieved by mounting the CD-ROM on the recording medium readers installed, installing the corresponding programs, and executing them by the CPU provided in those apparatuses.
In this case, the state read and executed from the recording medium realizes the function according to the above-described embodiment, and the program and the recording medium recording the program also constitute the present invention.

Note that a program that realizes such a function includes a semiconductor medium (eg, ROM, nonvolatile memory, etc.), an optical medium (eg, DVD, MO, MD, CD, etc.), a magnetic medium (eg, magnetic tape, flexible disk, etc.). Etc.) may be provided in a recording medium according to any form.
Alternatively, the program stored in the storage device may be directly supplied from the server computer via a communication network such as a network. In this case, the storage device of this server computer is also included in the recording medium of the present invention.

  In addition to realizing the functions according to the above-described embodiment by executing a program, the above-described embodiment is realized by jointly processing with an operating system or other application program based on an instruction of the program. The case where the function which concerns on is implement | achieved is also included.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit provided in the image forming apparatus. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image measurement unit provided in the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is an example of the data structure of the management table which memorize | stores the information of the alerting | reporting destination which contacts various information. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the pattern detection part with which an image forming apparatus is equipped. It is an example of the pattern for a measurement formed on an intermediate transfer body. In this example, regular reflection light from the intermediate transfer member is imaged. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a correlation between a standard deviation calculated by measuring the area of each point of a measurement pattern on a photoconductor or an intermediate transfer member and an average granularity actually measured by outputting several types of gradation data. It is the figure which showed a mode that the pattern for a measurement was divided | segmented into the rectangular area | region which contains 1 dot in each area | region. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the contribution rate when carrying out the linear regression of this brightness characteristic, and the product of the average area of the dot of the pattern used for granularity prediction, and the number of lines used for the output. It is the figure which showed the result of having predicted MTF in the spatial frequency of 6 c / mm by Formula (3) using the line width and the edge width of a line. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process sequence which determines a process condition item and adjustment amount. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process sequence which determines a process condition item and adjustment amount. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process sequence which alert | reports degradation of an image quality. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process sequence which alert | reports various information. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when a predicted image quality is lowered and developer quality is deteriorated. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device in the image forming system which concerns on this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure for selecting an image forming apparatus optimal for an output image.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital color printer apparatus main body, 2 ... Original, 4 ... Image reading device, 5 ... Platen glass, 6 ... Light source, 7 ... Full-rate mirror, 8, 9 ... Half-rate mirror, 10 ... Imaging lens, 11 ... Image reading Element: 12 Image processing apparatus, 13K, 13Y, 13M, 13C Image forming unit, 14 ROS (Raster Output Scanner), 15 Photoconductor drum, 16 Scorotron for primary charging, 17 Developer, 18 Cleaning device 19 ... Semiconductor laser 20, 21, 23, 24 ... Reflection mirror, 22 ... Rotary polygon mirror, 25 ... Intermediate transfer belt, 26 ... Primary transfer roll, 27 ... Drive roll, 28 ... Stripping roll, 29 ... Steering roll, 30, 32 ... Idle roll, 31 ... Backup roll, 33 ... Secondary transfer roller 34, recording paper, 35, 36 ... conveying belt, 37 ... fixing device, 38 ... discharge tray, 39, 40, 41 ... paper feeding tray, 42 ... paper feeding roller, 43, 44, 45 ... for paper conveyance 46 ... paper transport path, 47 ... registration roll, 48 ... belt cleaner, 49 ... toner supply pipe, 50 ... toner hopper (toner replenishment unit), 60 ... pattern detection unit, 61 ... light source, 62 ... connection Image lens, 63 ... Photoelectric conversion element, 64 ... Diffusion plate, 66 ... Half mirror, 100 ... Image output device, 200, 200a, 200b ... Image forming device, 210 ... Control unit, 220 ... Image forming unit, 230 ... Image measurement 231 ... Image memory 232 ... Analysis unit 233 ... Control unit 234 ... Internal bus 240 ... Image quality prediction unit 250 ... Process condition calculation unit 260 ... Storage unit 270 ... Mixed Developer determination unit, 280 ... notification unit, 290 ... communication control unit, 300 ... connector, 310 ... facsimile modem, 320 ... internal bus, 350 ... local area network (LAN), 390 ... terminal device, 391 ... control unit, 392 Operation instruction unit 393 Image processing unit 394 Image type determination unit 395 Output device selection unit 396 Image processing method selection unit 397 Storage unit 398 Communication control unit 399 Image feature amount calculation , 400 ... Internal bus, 700 ... Management table, 700a ... Notification destination identifier, 700b ... Notification destination name, 700c ... Device type, 700d ... Identification information.

Claims (27)

  In an image forming apparatus for forming an image of an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member by an electrophotographic process, an image pattern measuring unit for measuring at least the shape of an image pattern formed on the photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member, and the measurement result And an image forming condition adjusting unit that adjusts an image forming process condition based on the image quality prediction result of the image quality predicting unit. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer is stored and the replaceable developer supply means for supplying the developer to the developing means, and the developer not used for image formation is collected. The developer recovery means for re-reserving in the developer supply means, and the quality of the mixed developer obtained by mixing the unused developer and the recovered developer accommodated in the developer supply means are determined. The image forming condition adjusting unit adjusts the image forming process condition based on the image quality prediction result of the image quality predicting unit and the mixed developer quality determination result of the mixed developer quality determining unit. An image forming apparatus.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming process conditions include a charge amount applied to the photoconductor, a light amount for forming a latent image on the photoconductor, a developing bias, and a transfer bias. An image forming apparatus comprising at least one image forming apparatus.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image quality prediction result obtained by adjusting the image quality prediction and the image forming process conditions a predetermined number of times is set as a quality of an output image. An image forming apparatus.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern measuring unit measures each image forming unit having a different color, and the image quality predicting unit is based on the measurement result for each color. An image forming apparatus that predicts the quality of an output image for each color, and the image forming condition adjusting unit adjusts an image forming process condition for each image forming unit based on an image quality prediction result for each color.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern measuring unit includes an average area and standard deviation of dots constituting the image pattern, an average equivalent circle diameter and standard deviation of dots, or An image forming apparatus for measuring a line width and a line edge width of lines constituting the image pattern.   7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern measuring unit removes toner particles having a predetermined size or less from a toner image detected from the measured image. An image forming apparatus.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern measuring unit forms an image of a illuminating unit using a substantially collimated light beam and a specularly reflected light beam from a photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that performs photoelectric conversion on an optical image formed by the image forming unit; and an image analysis unit.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image quality characteristic predicted by the image quality predicting means is at least graininess, gradation, and sharpness.   10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the graininess predicted by the image quality predicting unit is calculated from a standard deviation of a dot area or a standard deviation of a dot circle equivalent diameter. Image forming apparatus.   11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gradation property predicted by the image quality predicting unit is a linearity of a gradation characteristic curve, and is an average dot area or a dot circle equivalent diameter average and a floor. An image forming apparatus that calculates from a predetermined number of lines used to create a toned image.   12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sharpness predicted by the image quality prediction unit is an MTF at a specific spatial frequency and is calculated from a line width and a line edge width. An image forming apparatus.   13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image quality predicting unit sets the Mahalanobis distance of each characteristic value calculated by the image pattern measuring unit to an image group determined to have good image quality. An image forming apparatus that calculates an image quality prediction value using the calculated Mahalanobis distance based on a reference space of the characteristic value set in advance.   14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a network connection unit, wherein the measurement result and / or the image quality prediction result requested from an arbitrary terminal connected via the network is requested. An image forming apparatus that returns a response to an original terminal.   14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a network connection unit, wherein the measurement result and / or the image quality prediction result are transmitted via a network registered in advance at a predetermined cycle. An image forming apparatus that transmits to a connected terminal.   16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the image quality prediction result reaches a predetermined value or less, information indicating that the image quality has deteriorated is notified to a pre-registered registrant. An image forming apparatus comprising an informing unit for performing the above-described operation.   16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the developer needs to be replaced from an image quality prediction result obtained by adjusting image quality prediction and image formation process conditions a plurality of times and the mixed developer quality determination result. And a notification means for notifying a registrant registered in advance of information relating to the replacement of the developer when it is determined that the replacement time required for the replacement of the developer has been reached. Image forming apparatus.   An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus that forms an image of an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor by an electrophotographic process; and a terminal device that requests output of an image processed by connecting to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the terminal device includes an image quality prediction result predicted by the image quality predicting unit obtained from the image forming apparatus and image processing prior to image processing. An image forming system characterized in that an optimum image processing method is selected based on a measurement result of the image pattern measuring means and image processing is performed.   18. An image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to claim 1 and a terminal device that requests output of processed images from any of the image forming apparatuses are connected via a network. Prior to image formation, the terminal device requests the image quality prediction results and / or the measurement results from a plurality of the image forming devices, and actually forms an image based on the responded image quality prediction results and / or measurement results. And an output device selection means for selecting an apparatus to be processed, wherein the terminal device requests the output of the processed image to the image forming apparatus selected by the output device selection means. Forming system.   18. An image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to claim 1 and a terminal device that requests output of processed images from any of the image forming apparatuses are connected via a network. The terminal device periodically requests the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result from a plurality of the image forming apparatuses, and stores the responded image quality prediction result and / or measurement result in association with the image forming apparatus. And a result holding means for output, and an output device selection means for selecting an apparatus for actually forming an image based on an image quality prediction result and / or a measurement result held in the result holding means when forming an image. Is an image forming system that requests the image forming apparatus selected by the output apparatus selecting means to output the processed image.   18. An image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to claim 1 and a terminal device that requests output of processed images from any of the image forming apparatuses are connected via a network. The image forming apparatus periodically transmits the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result to the preset terminal device, and the terminal device receives the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result received from the image forming apparatus. A result holding unit that holds the image in association with the image forming apparatus, and an output device that selects an apparatus that actually forms an image based on the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result held in the result holding unit when forming an image A selection unit, wherein the terminal device requests the image forming apparatus selected by the output device selection unit to output the processed image. Image forming system, characterized in that the.   23. The image forming system according to claim 19, 20 or 21, wherein the output device selection unit is configured to output the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result obtained from a plurality of the image forming devices and a feature amount of an image to be output. An image forming apparatus that selects an image forming apparatus based on the image quality prediction result of the selected image forming apparatus, and selects an optimal image processing method based on the feature amount to process the image; Forming system.   22. The image forming system according to claim 19, 20 or 21, wherein the output device selecting means is based on the image quality prediction result and / or the measurement result obtained from a plurality of the image forming devices and the type of image to be output. An apparatus for actually forming an image is selected, and an image is processed by selecting an optimal image processing method based on an image prediction result and / or a measurement result of the selected image forming apparatus and the image type. An image forming system. An image forming condition adjusting method for adjusting an image forming process condition in an image forming apparatus for forming an image of an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor by an electrophotographic process,
An image pattern measurement step for measuring at least the shape of an image pattern formed on the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member, an image quality prediction step for predicting the quality of the output image based on the measurement result, and the image quality prediction result An image forming condition adjusting method comprising an image forming condition adjusting step for adjusting image forming process conditions.   25. The image forming condition adjusting method according to claim 24, further comprising a mixed developer quality determination step of determining the quality of a mixed developer in which a collected developer that has not been used for image formation and an unused developer are mixed. The image forming condition adjusting step adjusts an image forming process condition based on the image quality prediction result and the mixed developer quality determination result.   The function of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, the function of the image forming system according to any of claims 18 to 23, or the image according to claim 24 or 25. A program for executing the forming condition adjusting method.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 26 is recorded.

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